Keypoints:
- Each player receives about $135,000 plus land
- Total rewards exceed $3.7m following AFCON win
- Pledges come amid IMF debt concerns
SENEGAL’S President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has announced cash bonuses worth more than $3.7 million and prime coastal land grants for the national football team after their Africa Cup of Nations victory over Morocco.
Speaking at a celebratory ceremony in Dakar on Tuesday night, Faye said each member of the Lions of Teranga squad would receive CFA75 million (about $134,900) alongside a 1,500-square-metre plot of land.
Thousands of supporters poured into the streets of the capital to welcome the players home, waving national flags and chanting as the champions returned from Morocco following Sunday’s dramatic final.
The generous rewards underline football’s central role in Senegalese national identity but come at a sensitive time, as the government grapples with mounting debt and renewed negotiations with the International Monetary Fund after billions of dollars in previously undisclosed liabilities were uncovered.
A final filled with drama
Senegal clinched the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations title with a tense 1–0 extra-time victory over hosts Morocco in Rabat.
The final was marked by controversy when Senegal briefly walked off the pitch after a penalty was awarded to Morocco deep into stoppage time at the end of normal play. After discussions with officials, the team returned, only for Morocco to miss the spot kick.
Midfielder Pape Gueye then struck the decisive goal four minutes into extra time, sealing Senegal’s second continental title and triggering celebrations across the country.
Earlier on Tuesday, the players rode atop an open-top bus bearing the words ‘African champions’, travelling along Dakar’s corniche toward the presidential palace as crowds lined the route.
Breakdown of rewards
Under the package announced by President Faye:
- The 28-man squad will collectively receive CFA2.1bn, (about $3.7 million), in cash bonuses.
- Each player will also receive a 1,500-square-metre land plot, much of it located along Senegal’s prized coastline.
Additional rewards were announced for football administrators and officials:
- Members of the Senegalese Football Federation will receive CFA50 million each (about $90,000) plus 1,000-square-metre plots.
- Members of the official Senegalese delegation to Morocco will receive CFA20 million (around $36,000) and 500-square-metre plots.
- Staff of the sports ministry will collectively receive CFA305 million ($550,000) in bonuses.
Praise from the presidency
Addressing the players from a stage in front of the presidential palace, Faye praised the team’s unity and discipline.
‘Dear Lions, you have honoured the flag entrusted to you. You have honoured Senegal,’ he said.
‘You have shown by example that when Senegalese people move forward together with discipline and confidence, no challenge is beyond their reach.’
Celebration amid debt strain
The celebrations come as Senegal faces significant fiscal pressure.
The IMF said the country’s public debt reached 132 percent of GDP at the end of 2024, after the current administration uncovered billions of dollars in obligations that had not been reported by the previous government.
The revelations prompted the IMF to freeze a $1.8 bn lending programme, forcing Senegal to rely heavily on regional debt auctions to meet its financing needs. A newly appointed IMF mission chief arrived in Dakar this week for introductory talks with the government.
Despite the strain, officials have defended the football rewards as recognition of a unifying national achievement.
AFCON prize money context
The victory also brings substantial continental prize money. Confederation of African Football president Patrice Motsepe said in December that the winners of the 35th Africa Cup of Nations tournament would receive $10 million.
Senegal previously lifted the trophy in 2021 after defeating Egypt in the final. At the time, players received CFA50 million ($90,000) and far smaller land allocations than those announced this week.
As celebrations continue nationwide, the Lions of Teranga have once again delivered sporting glory — even as Senegal balances triumph on the pitch with economic challenges at home.
